Abu Dhabi Airports and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs & Port Security (ICP) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that serves as a comprehensive service level agreement, aimed at enhancing end-to-end passenger flow, and strengthening border control and customs services across the emirate’s five airports.
This partnership comes at a pivotal time
for Abu Dhabi Airports, which has witnessed record levels of growth.
The company achieved a 44.5% increase in
passenger traffic in 2023, followed by 28% in 2024, culminating in 17
consecutive quarters of double-digit growth through to the first half of 2025.
In light of this sustained momentum, the
MoU establishes a collaborative framework that ensures the airport ecosystem
can scale efficiently, maintain exceptional service standards, and meet the
demands of an increasingly global passenger base.
The agreement was formalised during a
signing ceremony held at Zayed International Airport on October 6, 2025, with
Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi
Airports, and Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Acting Director General of Ports at the
Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security, signing
on behalf of their respective organisations.
The MoU outlines deepened cooperation
between Abu Dhabi Airports and ICP across key areas including border control
operations, customs facilitation, emergency preparedness, training, and service
optimisation.
A
central pillar of this collaboration is the “Smart Travel” initiative — a
transformative system introduced by ICP that enables passengers to clear
immigration in as little as seven seconds using biometric verification and
smart gate technology.
This initiative, which recently earned the
2025 GovMedia Award for Best Marketing Campaign, sets a new benchmark in
seamless, tech-enabled travel and plays a critical role in Abu Dhabi Airports’
vision to deliver a gate-to-kerb arrival experience in under 12 minutes.
Sorlini stated: “We are delighted to have strengthened
our partnership with UAE ICP, a crucial partner and an enabler of our incredible
pace of growth at Abu Dhabi Airports. Together, we aim to raise the standard
for efficient, secure, and passenger-centric airport operations. This
partnership ensures that the infrastructure and systems supporting our
operations are just as advanced as the world-class facilities we offer our
guests.”
Al Kuwaiti added: “The integration between
government services and airport operations is essential to realising the UAE’s
vision for aviation leadership. With this agreement, we reaffirm our commitment
to ensuring border security while enabling fast, intelligent, and seamless
travel experiences.”
By integrating advanced systems, sharing
real-time data, and deploying coordinated workflows, the partnership is
designed to improve processing efficiency while preserving the highest
standards of security and service.
Joint working groups will oversee daily operational planning, manage emergency readiness, and ensure continuous performance evaluation based on internationally benchmarked indicators. These include passenger wait times, satisfaction levels, customs clearance efficiency, and overall throughput, particularly during peak periods. -TradeArabia News Service